Marcon goes ‘dippy’ after securing project at Ulster Museum

It has long been the first sight to greet visitors to London’s Natural History Museum but soon visitors to the Ulster Museum can look forward to being greeted by the iconic Diplodocus dinosaur skeleton.

‘Dippy’ the Diplodocus is set to take residence in the Ulster Museum as part of a road trip across the UK, as he ventures out of London for the first time since 1905.

Marcon will manage the fit-out of the exhibition, manufacturing the setworks and coordinating the installation of the display cases, AV and interactives throughout the space. Marcon’s in-house joinery workshop will be utilised to manufacture the many items within the exhibition.

Martin McErlean, Heritage Contracts Manager, Marcon comments; “It’s not every day that you get to be involved in a touring exhibition of this nature and we are very excited to be able to play a role in bringing this amazing exhibition to life. We have completed projects in national museums in Ireland and the UK, but there is something really special about working with the Ulster Museum on the exhibition that will be home to Dippy for the next four months.”

Dippy will be visiting eight different venues on a mission to inspire five million natural history adventures, encouraging families to explore nature on their doorstep. Since his unveiling in the Natural History Museum in 1905, Dippy the Diplodocus became a star, and has featured in newspaper cartoons, news reports and even played starring roles in film and television.

Andrew McDowell, Audience Development & Engagement Manager for National Museums NI said “We’re looking forward to working with Marcon, which has a strong track record in the museums and heritage sector, on this exciting exhibition which is expected to bring record numbers of visitors to the Ulster Museum to see the iconic Dippy dinosaur in our exhibition.

“Marcon’s work will also enable us to showcase many of our own fascinating natural history artefacts which explore the uniqueness of our natural world and biodiversity in this part of the island of Ireland.”

Dippy on Tour: A Natural History Adventure is brought about by the Natural History Museum in partnership with the Garfield Weston Foundation, and supported by Dell EMC and Williams & Hill.

The new exhibition opens to the public on 28th September 2018. Admission is free but pre-booking tickets is recommended at www.nmni.com/dippy